


Wasted

by chararii



Category: Naruto
Genre: A bot gave me this pairing, Also Koharu was hot when she was young so it's ok, Ambiguity, Bittersweet, F/F, I REGRET NOTHING, I know this is a crack ship but I swear the actual fic is not, Memories, Past Relationship(s), Reminiscing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:33:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26888926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chararii/pseuds/chararii
Summary: Late and quiet nights have a way of bringing back memories and for once, Tsunade finds she doesn't even mind.“You were wasted on your self-imposed exile.”“You were wasted on a husband.”
Relationships: Utatane Koharu/Tsunade (Naruto)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 16





	Wasted

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to KarinBot for giving me this ship lol. 
> 
> Also small PSA, I will be writing a lot of femslash in the next month for the Naruto femslash hosted kink meme so all my other projects will take a bit longer to be updated. Everyone feel free to check the collection though; there will be the and mslash ships too if anyone is interested. :)

A faint knock on the door startled Tsunade and roused her from a pleasant nap. Flailing briefly, she knocked one of the many empty sake bottles off her desk. Grimacing when the ceramic hit the ground and shattered, the blonde groaned and rubbed her head.

“What? Who is it?” She didn't look at the door as it opened, too busy muttering to herself and picking bits and pieces of the bottle off the floor.

“Tsunade.” She stilled for a moment, closed her eyes and suppressed any sigh or other sound of annoyance that threatened to make it past her lips. She was in no fucking mood to deal with that pain in the ass.

“What do you want,” Tsunade almost growled before getting off her knees and dumping the shards in an empty flower vase. She'd kicked the bin through the window yesterday and it still hadn't made its way back into her office. Refusing to give the annoyance even a fraction of her attention, Tsunade wandered over to her desk and took a large gulp of sake straight from the bottle.

“The council has come to a decision regarding your retirement.” Tsunade rolled her eyes as she leaned against the desk and stared out of the window, watching Konoha as it rested and slept. No doubt the old relics were beside themselves with joy. Not that they'd ever show it what with those sticks firmly lodged in their-

“It is unacceptable.” What? Surprise caused Tsunade to turn around, unable to stop her eyes from widening as she was met by the usually stoic image of one Utatane Koharu. The old bat wasn't joking. Heavens knew that one had lost her sense of humour decades ago.

“Hatake is not a suitable replacement. Skilled on the battlefield he may be, asking that man to assume an office and deal with everyday concerns is a catastrophe waiting to happen.” Tsunade stared for another second, then closed her mouth with an audible snap.

“I recall you having said the same about me when I first took the hat.” There was a time and a place for her to lose her temper but in the dead of the night when they had decided to send Utatane and only Utatane wasn't it. The old bat sniffed once, becoming haughtier by the second, prompting another annoyed roll of Tsunade's honey-coloured eyes.

“For all your faults there has never been any doubt that you'd be up to the task.” This time, Tsunade dropped the bottle she'd just picked up. Cold liquid splashed onto her toes but even then she was too stunned to curse. She paused for a second, then squinted at the older woman.

“You sure had a funny way of showing your confidence in my abilities.” Because fuck the two of them, seriously, for all the shit they gave her. There was nothing wrong with enjoying the occasional bottle of sake outside office hours. And during. Honestly, Tsunade wasn't getting any younger and some of the incomprehensible stupidity she'd faced... nobody could blame her for being an alcoholic.

“I have never doubted you.” Tsunade snorted quietly and dumped the second set of broken ceramic into the same vase.

“Hatake is going to be the next Hokage. I'm sick and tired of this job. You can either accept my nomination or watch me walk out of the village without a successor.” That truly was the politest way to put it. After the war, Tsunade's third, she was over all the bullshit, all the decisions, the hours chained to that damn desk. She deserved her retirement and she couldn't care less about receiving the council's permission.

“Hoping that duty and responsibility would temper your spirit was foolish.” Now that caught Tsunade's attention. Facing the elder once more, she narrowed her eyes at the woman, searching for something she couldn't find.

“Careful. You're getting awfully close to acknowledging something we agreed to bury.” Utatane didn't move or react to her words at all. She remained silent, still, straight-laced and uptight in a way that never failed to make Tsunade so irrationally furious.

“Not at all. Do not project.” Muttering a foul word under her breath, Tsunade walked over to the bookshelf and removed a few select books only to discover that Shizune had discovered and destroyed this hiding place as well. And here she had thought the day couldn't get any worse.

“So what'll it be? A Rokudaime of my choice or a power vacuum?” Tsunade had done her service to the village and truly couldn't be fucked to look after its best interests anymore. She was perfectly willing to just pack her things and leave. The continued silence from the older woman told her that the council was aware of this, too.

“You are unreasonable,” Utatane finally sighed. A tiny flame sparked in Tsunade's stomach. That was the kind of quiet resignation she had been waiting for. The quiet resignation that meant she'd _won_.

“Glad we've come to an agreement. Now if there's nothing else...?” The elder didn't speak up but also failed to leave. Unusual.

“You have done... well.” There was no way Tsunade was drunk enough to imagine something as outrageous as one of the elders complimenting her. No fucking way.

“A proud daughter of Konoha once more. Your uncle would be proud.” Tsunade swallowed, eyes stuck on the elder, mouth dry. She had expected many things. Not this. Never this.

“Thank you,” she muttered and to her own surprise, meant it too. A barely noticeable gust of wind made its way through the window, disturbing the lamp and causing the shadows to flicker. With a jerk of her head, Tsunade freed herself from the moment and stalked to her desk, gathering up papers and stuffing them in the top drawer. Shizune would have them sorted before Tsunade would return in the early morning hours.

“You were wasted on your self-imposed exile.” Tsunade's hands stilled at the barely noticeable layer of softness in Utatane's voice, a sound she hadn't heard in over thirty years. Surely not...? Tilting her head just enough to catch the woman's eyes, Tsunade raised a single brow.

“You were wasted on a husband.” The outrage, fury, or even cold dismissal she had expected never came. Time truly had turned the woman in front of her into someone she no longer recognised.

“Perhaps.” Tsunade averted her eyes as the corner of her mouth twitched. Locking the drawer, she once more leaned against the desk, body tilted away from Utatane.

“Old regrets coming back to haunt you?” Shit, she didn't even want to have this conversation. Nothing good could possibly come from rehashing old drama that honestly, both should have forgotten about long ago. They'd been young then. Different. Fuck, so very different.

“I've lived a long life. No one can reach my age and not occasionally be reminded of past failures.” As if Tsunade didn't already know that. Part of her wanted to ask what the bat actually regretted; that they'd tried or that they'd ultimately failed.

“Stop pretending you're so much older than I. We're only sixteen years apart.” A jutsu could hide her true appearance but it sure couldn't make Tsunade forget about the years she felt in her bones. And, she couldn't help but admit to herself with a quiet snort, those sixteen years sure hadn't meant shit back when Koharu had been fire and flame, consuming Tsunade and everything she had to offer.

“The years have changed me. Oddly enough I find they have passed you by with changing nothing at all.” Except for all the regrets of course. Tsunade noticed herself mustering the older woman, looking past her aged appearance. The rigidity of her spine, the tradition and coldness etched into her very soul, the steel where once there had been much more pliable metal.

“I liked you better then,” she stated, brutally honest and fully aware that no matter what Tsunade could say would never ruffle a woman who had willingly turned herself to stone. Quite the shame, Tsunade thought. Heavens, Koharu in her prime had been a whirlwind the likes of which she had never come across again.

“Some days, so did I.” Molten honey met dark chocolate and for a single moment, as the shadows shifted just so, Tsunade found herself thrust back in time thirty-five years when she had been young and wild and Koharu had been older but wilder and they had set their world on fire.

“Hatake it shall be.” Tsunade blinked, then nodded. The warmth that still lingered on her skin began to fade and so she grabbed her mantle and put it on, reaching for a small stack of papers she would take back to her residence.

“I'll start instructing him tomorrow.” Part of her looked forward to making that poor sod sit down to introduce him to the joys of hokageship. She truly was a sadist at heart. Koharu went for the door and exited the office, closely followed by Tsunade. They made their way down the stairs and to the entrance of the tower in silence. Just before parting, the older woman's voice held back Tsunade for one last time.

“The flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long.” Snorting quietly, Tsunade didn't turn around to face Koharu and instead resumed her walk in the opposite direction.

“But what a glorious flame it was,” she muttered, corners of her mouth turned upwards, and with lightness in her step.

**Author's Note:**

> I love me some crack ships. Funny enough this is the smallest age gap I have written so far.


End file.
